


The Present of Presence

by TheNarcolepticOne



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Coffee, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-22 16:42:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13170987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNarcolepticOne/pseuds/TheNarcolepticOne
Summary: All Lovino wanted to do was take the chance to sleep in the day before Christmas Eve. But with a working husband and an inconsistent schedule, he'd have to think otherwise.





	The Present of Presence

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fic for the Spamano Secret Santa 2017 event! For beloved @tomasyri on Tumblr :)

Lovino can’t feel his toes. 

He’s been sitting in the car for about an hour, trying to save up on the gas as much as he can by deciding (without much thought to it) that the heat could linger for thirty minutes of waiting before Antonio would emerge from the firm building. 

Unfortunately for him, Antonio was late and Lovino had become a popsicle at this point, shivering so hard he felt like his heart was frozen. He was with a pair of thin pants, one sweater without any layers and the thinnest socks possible for the season. He hadn’t thought to bring any blankets and had an aggressively stubborn personality when it came to saving money, hence his decision to just stare at the ignition keys in the cupholder and hoping to god that Antonio would finally get out of his damn office so he could go home.

It was supposed to be a quick trip, driving to the workplace and back so that he could immediately go back to bed and rest under the covers without having to worry much about anything except Christmas TV specials and popcorns (and sticking his cold feet underneath the clothes in Antonio’s warm stomach). 

He’s already lacking the essentials for later tonight too, and he’s itching to also get a chance to start up on his iconic, romantic Christmas dinner.

He was supposed to take care of that after the siesta though.

“Sorry, I’m late.” 

The door swung open, with the cold and chilly air and blasting inside with a turbulent force. Lovino squeezed his toes and braced himself against the wind. Antonio made it inside with at least a forest of flakey snow on his head. So much so that Lovino felt the need to go over and brush it off for him as Antonio clicks his seatbelt. 

Lovino sighs, grabbing the keys from their place in the cup holder before starting the car. And it didn’t take long before that sweet and warm air began to fill the air, melting the frost from the windows to reveal fog infested streets and dimly lit cars passing by them like specters. It’s then that he finally looks at the other, where Lovino sees heavy bags under Antonio’s closed eyes, calloused fingers and an exhausted breath reeking of morning breath; he could tell Antonio hadn’t been able to brush his teeth since then and it was already three in the afternoon.

“Hell yeah you were. What took y-you? I-I was freezing my ass off.” mumbled Lovino, already rubbing his own shoulders with his shaking hands. He doesn’t let Antonio know he’s worried at the appearance. “How was work?”

“A lot busier than usual,” Antonio laughs as he sees his breath inside of the car. His suit is crumpled when he adjusts the seat enough to lean back into it. Antonio takes it off later after a frustrating effort “You didn’t leave the car running?”

“Well, I was waiting until you came around,” Lovino pulled out of the parallel parking driveway, opting instead to just concentrate on the road in the case that they could get into an accident. Antonio wasn’t good at driving in snow, and it reflected a lot in the way the car looked quite beat up and dented over the last year. “So you… you have Christmas off?”

Antonio sighs and Lovino’s heart clenched. “No, unfortunately.”

“Oh.”

Antonio rests eventually after a few moments into the drive, devolving into snores and quiet breaths. It’s an almost silent trip, with Lovino not having the heart to turn on the radio to let him rest. The lack of noise is both a rarity, but also isn’t normal for Lovino to have to deal with. Often times, it would be a time where Antonio would unleash his unyielding stories about the co-workers and all they did wrong in the business office, while also making a note to always ask Lovino about how his day was.

To which, Lovino didn’t have anything to say other than he was just sleeping in and had only planned to do all the activities by evening time. Thank God for that.

He slowly stops right before a traffic light, instantly taking a moment to contemplate the decision before quickly making a totally legal U-turn in the opposite direction of home. 

Fuck the evening time. He was going to start this Christmas date right fucking now.

* * *

 

Antonio wakes up to the smell of chocolates and ginger, and his eyes open to the sight of what was honestly the oddest form of a wake-up call he had ever gotten.

Lovino had come back into the car with a cardboard cup carrier, holding in one hand his hand while the other quickly slammed the door to keep the warm air inside. The breeze made its way to fill up the car again briefly, and in that instant, Antonio noticed himself lacking the jacket top that went with his suit. 

He then rubbed his eyes and sat up, noticing Lovino had a suit jacket entirely similar to that of what he had worn. The exact same. Perhaps to keep him warm with his very thin wear. It made Antonio feel a bit guilty.

“Lovi?”

His hazel eyes met his. And his expression softened. “Shut up,” he murmured, shivering with his teeth clattering and putting his hands right up to the heater to try and get warm. “...y-you looked tired. S-So I thought I’d… probably just try and g-go ahead and get you. Something. I don’t know. I-I just got two of the same orders.”

Antonio brightened up, immediately pulling the seat back up into its upright position and smiling as he takes the chance to snag the already paid for drink from the holder. 

It’s an amazing smell, and it makes the car smell much more delightful than cold and dry air. Ginger again, and it tickles his throat a second time when he drinks it again. Lovino shakily takes his, sipping as he watched the other just laugh. 

“Well, I certainly didn’t expect this.”

“I’m sure you didn’t. Which is why I did it.” Lovino rolled his eyes. “You looked tired.”

“Did I?” Antonio blinked. Lovino groaned. 

“Just be happy I did this for you. I already knew you weren’t gonna get a break sometime anyway, so I figured we could just. You know. Do it all a day earlier.”

Antonio beamed. He set the hot chocolate down back in its holder, going in close. Lovino was startled. 

“Hold on!” Lovino declared quickly and defensively, instantly opening the car door again and disappearing into the parking lot and nearly slipping on his way out. Antonio’s cry for concern was abruptly cut off from the slam. Lovino ran to the back, popping it open and grabbing out something that was incredibly large, incredibly bulky and entirely extra.

Antonio blinked as Lovino shoved the present right into the back seat and rapidly getting back inside so he could turn on the ignition again.

It was a rather obvious looking present, wrapped in a monstrous amount of wrapping paper with a bow right on the top of it. Antonio smiled. It was probably meant to delay the moment.

“A guitar?”

Lovino was panting by the time he got back to his seat and looked at Antonio incredulously. And he sighed. 

“...well. I was hoping you’d probably take longer to guess it. But yeah. It is. But I couldn’t afford the—“

Lovino didn’t get enough time to compose himself before Antonio had gotten the chance to snag a kiss in between the explanation. 

And before he knew it, Antonio had taken the bow off the guitar itself, placing it right on top of the Italian’s head with an extreme look of bliss and satisfaction as Lovino looked very confused. 

“You know, as much as I like the guitar, I think I’m good with the same present every year.”

Lovino swallowed. And blushed, covering his face. “What the  _ fuck _ . You can’t tell me that after I-I got you something!”

“It’s true! Lovi, Lovi, _mi amor_ ,” Antonio laughed, easily brushing that hair out of Lovino’s face while showering it with chocolate scented kisses upon cold and freezing skin. “I love this. I-I love you. I can’t believe you did this and I’m not sure I deserve it because  _ dios mio _ I love you so much!”

He then kisses Lovino’s knuckles, causing him quite easily to burst into tears and hug him. 

“Toni, I-I can’t. Take how you can be so… loving.”

And Antonio still laughed, taking his chance to then just kiss his forehead. “Thank you, Lovi. You’ve...You’ve made my day so much better.  _ Te quiero. _ ”

Lovino sighs, finally just giving into the affections before just kissing Antonio right back, with heat blasting and car still running.

“Just make sure you’re home for New Year’s, dummy.”

**Author's Note:**

> _Posted December 25, 2017_


End file.
